As Adam Wainwright, 36, enters the final year of his contract — and possibly the last of his MLB career — his expected impact on the Cardinals’ season can be defined by the front office’s inactivity on the starting pitching market. Clearly, the organization is banking on Wainwright being demonstrably better than he was in 2017. Whether or not this is realistic, the front office remains poised to open the season with the starting pitchers they currently have on their roster.

So what needs to be done for Wainwright to return to form? Granted, “returning to form” may be a bit of a stretch at this point in his career arc; more simply, what can Wainwright do to provide consistent, above-average performance in 2018?

Before detailing what Wainwright could do to make the most of his stuff, let’s look at the specific issues that have plagued him, particularly last season. Of course, in Wainwright’s own words: “News flash. Last year I was...